A Trainer's Tale: Chapter 1: Sentenced
by TheTrueBuckbuck2
Summary: This is the story of how a street urchin turned accidental criminal saved the world. This is a story of companionship in trying times. This is the story of Pokémon Trainer Bucky Stevens. (Based off Platinum's plot)


A man- boy, really- sat in the Jubilife City Police Department, staring dejectedly into space.

' _I'm not getting out of this one,_ ' the boy thought dejectedly. ' _And, for once, it wasn't my fault!_ '

The boy was sitting at a metal table, bored out of his mind. Absent-mindedly, he drummed his fingers on the table, his long, grimy fingernails creating an odd clicking noise whenever they hit metal. As he drummed, waiting for something to happen, he noticed that the metal table actually reflected his features really well; his bright green eyes stared back at him, and his long, blond hair really needed to be washed. Now in an obersvant mood, he performed a mental checklist of his clothes. Old pair of black combat boots he found in a dumpster that one time? Check. Jeans? Sporting another rip from falling off the roof, but check. "White" T-shirt? Even less white than before, check. That badass looking longcoat he'd shoplifted three months ago? Check, although it was a bit more scuffed. Gloves? Of course not; they never let him keep his gloves.

"Hello, Buchanan," a sickly sweet female voice said. Her voice was distorted slightly, due to talking over an intercom.

The boy snorted. "M'name's Bucky," he said. ""Buchanan" belongs to an old geezer who lives in an Arceus-damned retirement home."

"...very well, "Bucky"," the voice said condescendingly, "do you know why you're here? Again, I might add?"

"Yep!" he replied cheerfully. "I was caught with an illegally obtained Pokéball from Professor Rowan's lab. I was arrested by the Jubilife City Police Department, and I now await my sentence."

"You hit the nail on the head," the voice said. "And we have a visitor for you."

The door opened, and suddenly Bucky felt so, so much worse. Gray hair, light brown overcoat, blue cardigan, red tie- yep, it was Professor Rowan alright.

"Good morning, Mr. Stevens," Rowan said. "As I'm sure you know, I am Professor Rowan. I study Pokémon, specifically the evolution of Pokémon, both in the biological sense, as in gradual changes over time in a population, and in the more common sense, as in when a Pokémon changes form when certain conditions are met."

"Thanks for the expository spiel, Doc," Bucky interrupted. Rowan's eyebrow twitched. "But no one here doesn't know that, so cut to the chase."

"Very well," Rowan sighed. "I will drop all charges if you agree to do two things for me. The first is that you must truthfully answer the question I am about to ask you."

"Fire away."

"Do you love Pokémon?"

Bucky let out a short bark of laughter. "Startin' off with a hard one, huh?" He let out a low chuckle. "Honestly? No, I don't love Pokémon."

Rowan hummed in disapproval.

"However!" Bucky continued. "I don't hate them either. My views on Pokémon are kinda similar to my views on random pedestrians- I don't know very much about them, so I can't judge them based on that."

"For someone who has been living on the streets for most of their life, you have a surprisingly scientific approach to judgment," Rowan noted.

"So I've been told," Bucky said. "So, did I pass?"

"I suppose so," Rowan answered. "Your answer was not the answer I was hoping for, but it was neither the one I was dreading. Now, for my second request."

Rowan placed a red metal device on the table. "This is what is known as a Pokédex," Rowan continued. "It contains a database on all 796 Pokemon currently known to man, from Bulbasaur to the mythical Zeraora."

"What's the catch?" Bucky asked.

"The "catch" is that there is a special counter installed in this Pokédex," Rowan explained. "In the current Sinnoh regional Pokédex, there are 211 species of Pokémon. I want you to scan all 211 Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex in order for me to drop the charges. Will you accept this task?"

"Eh, sure," Bucky said. "Not like I have anything better to do."

"Hm! Good answer!" Rowan said, sliding the Pokédex to Bucky. He stood up and motioned for Bucky to follow him.

"The terms that the JCPD and I agreed upon were that you were to have two individuals to accompany you during this task," Rowan explained. "They are to be one JCPD officer and one of my lab assistants."

Upon hearing "lab assistant," Bucky immediately imagined a well-endowed thirty-something woman. The duo walked through the police station to a door. Rowan opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Augustine! Officer Jenny!" Rowan announced. "I have Mr. Stevens here to meet you!"

"Finally!" A female voice said. "We've been sitting here for ages!"

Bucky entered the room and took stock of the people within. Sprawled lazily across a few chairs was a thin man with unkempt black hair, who didn't appear to be much older than Bucky. Upon seeing Bucky, he swung his legs over to stand up, narrowly missing the other person in the room. She wore the standard blue police uniform that denoted female members of the JCPD; a blue blouse, a blue skirt, and black leggings. Wrapped around her neck was a black scarf. She also had the distinctive bright green hair of the Sinnoh branch of the Jenny clan, although Bucky had a hard time believing that someone as large as her was a mamber of the Jenny clan; she must've weighed three hundred pounds!

"Bonjour," the man said, extending a hand in greeting. "My name is Sycamore. Augustine Sycamore. I am a new lab assistant at Professor Rowan's lab."

Bucky shook Sycamore's hand. "That's a faint Kalosian accent I hear?"

Sycamore nodded. "Oui, I was born and raised in Kalos."

"Good morning," the cop said. "I am Officer Reina Jenny. Augustine and I will be the ones monitoring you."

"She's normally much more... relaxed," Sycamore stage-whispered to Bucky. Bucky snorted.

"Well excuse me for trying to appear somewhat professional!" Reina said, throwing her flabby arms in the air.

"Did you really think for an instant I'd try to be professional?" Sycamore asked, a positively shit-eating grin on his face. Reina muttered something along the lines of "damn smug Kalosian" under her breath. Said Kalosian's grin only widened. That grin disappeared when Reina's thrown flashlight made contact with his nose.

"Pourqoui?!" Sycamore said while cupping his nose. Everyone ignored him.

"So I get to be babysat by a flamboyant Kalosian and the World's Fattest Cop," Bucky said. "Am I missing some kind of punchline here? Or are we waiting for the paralyzed mime and the talking Meowth to show up?"

"There is no punchline," Professor Rowan said. "These are the two that will accompany you on your task."

"Goodie," Bucky muttered.

* * *

 **Feedback is appreciated!**


End file.
